Alternative Ending to Shotgun Wedding
by msd1423daly
Summary: I was not happy with the end of Shotgun Wedding. Here is the way I thought it should have ended.


Alternative Ending to Shotgun Wedding

Catherine watched with horror as Liam grabbed Vincent and threw him into the wall. Except Vincent didn't just hit the wall, he went through it. Calmly as if he had not exerted himself at all, Liam looked back at Catherine. He cocked his head at her and then blurred away.

"VINCENT" Catherine yelled as she ran from the sacristy to the altar.

"VINCENT" Both Tess and JT yelled as they ran up the aisle.

The aisle Catherine walked down not 5 minutes before, towards Vincent and towards the rest of their lives together.

Vincent isn't moving at first. Catherine reaches him, sliding on the ground to her knees, not caring that she is wearing her wedding dress.

"Vincent….oh my god….can you hear me?"

Vincent raises his head and opens his eyes.

"Are you ok?" All three of them ask at the same time. Catherine, tears in her eyes, touches his face, gently, he has a huge gash on his right arm and his face is covered in blood.

"I'm not sure."

Vincent tries to get up. His first instinct as always is Catherine.

"Looking her over for injuries, he manages to get out, his voice more hoarse than normal. "Are you alright….Where is Liam?"

"He's not here, he's gone, an ambulance is on the way Vincent, don't move."

Vincent lays his head back down, he tries to take a deep breath. Pain is everywhere, except where Catherine is stroking his face. He closes his eyes, he can't believe the mess he has made of everything. All he wanted to do was marry Catherine. All he wants is a normal life.

The paramedics arrive and Catherine is taken to be check out. Tess goes with her and JT stays with Vincent. The paramedic is trying to treat Vincent, but he is not being very cooperative. Instead of listening to the questions he is being asked, he keeps trying to listen to what the paramedic treating Catherine is saying.

"Vincent!" JT gets his attention. "This will go a lot faster and you can get to Catherine if you just pay attention and answer the man's questions,"

Vincent looks sheepish.

"Sorry….you know what I am fine." Vincent tries to stand up and is a little wobbly.

Doctors really do make the worst patients.

"Doc, you need stitches, and at the very least an x-ray." The paramedic explains.

Vincent is already headed towards Catherine, over his shoulder he says.

"Thank you…..really thank you but I am fine."

Catherine watches him walk across the church toward her. Every step he takes, it's obvious he is in pain. Still he comes for her. She closes her eyes as tears threaten to fall again. She almost lost him, she thought for a split second that she had. He was human when he went through that wall, beast DNA or not he could have been killed. Guilt washes over her, she dragged him back into this life. She could have told DHS no, like he wanted. He was right, they had sacrificed enough, and they didn't owe anyone anything. Vincent was right, when did it end? As she watched him come for her, she decided….it ended now.

They did not talk on the way home, the only conversation had been to ask JT to cancel the hotel they had booked for tonight. No point in staying in the honeymoon suite, when you weren't going on a honeymoon. They were each lost in their own thoughts, both saturated with guilt, both afraid to reach out to the other. Catherine put her hand on the edge of her seat and Vincent laid his hand on top of hers, she turned her hand up and clasped his fingers with her own. They rode the rest of the way home touching in silence.

Vincent unlocks the door to the apartment and lets Catherine go in ahead of him. She walks in just far enough for him to come in and close the door. She stands there rooted to the spot. Vincent comes up behind her and places his hands on her shoulders. They immediately start to shake and he turns her around and gathers her in his arms. She latches on to him and buries her face in his chest. A small grunt reminds her that he is hurting. She starts to pull back but he pulls her tighter. Turning his head he places his cheek on the top of her head.

"It's Ok, we are ok, Catherine. We are alive and that is all that matters."

She turns her head against his chest.

"It's not OK, Vincent. You were right I am so sorry, I didn't listen to you." She cries harder. "I almost got you killed today." She pulls back and this time he lets her. "This is all my fault, how can you ever forgive me for this?"

Vincent is taken aback.

"There is nothing to forgive. I made a mess out of today. I was so desperate to marry you, to prove to you that we could have a normal life that I ignored all the signs of danger and now Juliana is dead and you were hurt today. Today, which should have been the best day of your life. I should have told you about Liam and I should have cancelled the wedding. I have made a complete mess of things."

Catherine cups Vincent's face in her hands and kisses him. I love you for wanting to marry me more than anything. Let's get you cleaned up and then we can figure out what to do next. Right now, I just want a shower and a glass of wine."

Vincent kisses her back.

"I love you Catherine Chandler and I will make this right. I promise…I won't disappoint you."

Catherine smiles at him.

"Never."

Catherine helps Vincent out of his clothes. She inhales sharply at the bruises covering his back and legs already. Tentative she reaches out to lay her hand on his back.

"Oh God Vincent." As he turns toward her she sees that the bandage on his arm is already seeping blood. "Vincent we need to get you to the hospital."

"I will be fine, I just need hot shower, it looks worse than it feels." He lied to her.

He turns on the shower, letting the water heat up and then reaches to help her out of her wedding dress. He gently unzips the back, tracing her skin as it is revealed. Not in a sexual way but clinically for any sign of injury. She has bruises as well. First from Juliana attacking her in the limo and then from when Liam shoved her down and threw furniture at her. He would pay for every single bruise on her body, Vincent made that a promise as he helped Catherine out of her beautiful dress.

"Should we have this cleaned?" He asks holding it up for her. "I am pretty sure I am not going to get the deposit back on the Tux."

Catherine looks at the wedding dress. She loved it the moment she saw it. It was simple and elegant. Just like she was, or at least wanted to be.

"No, it seems bad luck to reuse a wedding dress, plus I don't think you could ever really get the blood out."

She steps into the shower and Vincent stands there a moment holding on to her dress. He feels the normal future he wants slipping away from him as the dress slips to the floor.

He gets into the shower behind her, taking her shampoo he turns her around and pours it into his hand. The smell of jasmine floats up around them. He lathers her hair carefully mindful of her soreness. He does the same with her body, after pouring her body wash into a wash cloth he carefully washes away the blood, most of it his. He looks down and the water runs pink down into the drain. When he is done with her they switched places. He washes his own hair, she can't reach that high, but she washes the blood off his face gently with the wash cloth. Using the body wash she carefully washes him. Once they are both clean she steps into his arms. The hot water sluicing over them as they hold each other. Tense muscles relax and for a moment they are at peace.

Vincent pours Catherine a glass of wine, she is sitting on the couch wrapped in a fluffy robe, and her feet are tucked up underneath her. He pours one for himself and joins her. They sip the wine and look at one another, neither one really sure where to start. Vincent is the first to drop his eyes.

"Catherine I am sorry, I never should have doubted you. I realize now that we can't move forward with our lives until Liam is stopped. Until all the threats to our future are stopped. You believe in our destiny and I should have trusted you. I am on board now, we need to come up with a plan to stop Liam."

"No"

Vincent stops and stares at her.

"No?"

Catherine shakes her head.

"I was wrong, I put you and everyone I love in danger. It stops now, this is not our fight Vincent. We got in Liam's way, this has nothing to do with you or me or even beasts. I am not willing to risk you and everyone else I love. Not anymore. I am done."

Vincent is confused at her behavior, Catherine never backs down

"Catherine we can't just walk away now, that is not who we are, is it?"

Catherine gets up and starts to pace, she is flailing her arms around as she speaks to him.

"You can't ask me to do this, Vincent, not again. I can't lose you again. I…I would not survive, please don't ask me to take this on." Catherine's voice is choked. She is looking at him, her eyes full.

Vincent starts to argue with her to plead his case, but then he realizes she is scared. He has never seen Catherine truly scared. The kind of scared that shuts you down. The kind of scared that makes you want to crawl into bed and never come out. He gets up and comes to her.

"OK…OK….hey I am right here and I am not going anywhere." He puts his arms around her and she breaks down.

"Please Vincent…..I can't lose you…I just can't"

He sweeps her up into his arms and carries her to their bed. His mouth is in her hair, he is making soothing noises like he would to a scared child. Laying her down, he wraps himself around her. She grabs his arms and burrows in to him. Vincent continues to make soothing sounds and soft words until she falls asleep, safe in the circle of arms.


End file.
